2006 Porsche Cayenne Review

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2006 Porsche Cayenne

Average Resale Value: $18,089

MPG Range: N/A

Bodystyles: SUV

First Drive: 2006 Porsche Cayman

Son Rise: The spirit of the early, edgy 911 is born again in Porsche's new Boxster-derived coupe

Heinz Bernhard does it so you don't have to. In the Arctic, he endures temperatures so cold they'd make you cry, and the tears would freeze to your cheeks. Through high summers in South Africa and Death Valley, he throws himself into nature's ovens, working in air so hot it's violent. He drives on rough, remote tracks, avoiding the comfort of strangers. He seeks out humidity and dust. Wherever across the globe there are road conditions inimical to the automobile, Bernhard has probably spent time. As head of testing for Porsche, he has to find the best ways to punish and erode and curtail the lives of the company's prototypes. It's by surviving life with Bernhard that Porsches emerge so fit and strong.

His latest charge is the new Cayman S. By the time Motor Trend joins the program, the Cayman's already survived the horror phases of its test regime. It's had its suspension--Boxster but more hard-core--set up at full tire-melting pelt. Its engine--an amalgam of Boxster and 911--has been engineered, dyno'd, proven, and calibrated. The complete car has done its cycles of hot testing, cold testing, endurance testing. Vital work is still underway, but on this sunny day, Bernhard can perform his duties free of any great physical discomfort. Hey, we're even close to some fine vineyards and quality restaurants, and, as I soon happily discover, when the chance arises Bernhard likes to treat himself and his crew well.The dateline is April, in South Africa, six months ahead of the car's international public reveal at the Frankfurt auto show. (And in exchange for such access, we had to sign scary legal indemnities not to publish before now.) A casual look at these prototypes, bar the disguises, might not distinguish them from the finished article. Today's task list is all about checking driveability and chasing down rattles and squeaks. Even though the main modules of dash, doors, and seats are basically Boxster stock, everything above the waist and aft of the driver in this feisty-looking hatchback coupe is new and needs proving.I'm driving as Bernhard directs our convoy along a coarsely surfaced roadway. Next to me is Cayman project managing engineer Jan Roth. From somewhere behind us, there's a faint twitter from the trim. Roth is delighted at the lousy quality of the road Bernhard has found. "The frequency of bumps is just ideal," he grins. As I drive, he cranes his neck around the cockpit, trying to isolate the rattle. No success. So he climbs out of the passenger seat, wedging his not inconsiderable frame into the thin space between engine and rear windshield. From there, he uses a short-range microphone linked to amplified headphones and a noise analyzer, scanning the boot area and isolating a rattle so faint I've been barely hearing it.We stop the car, and the two Porsche mechanics who've been following us jump into the trunk, strip away the trim around the tailgate, and refit it with new, plumper rubber cushions. The change is logged, and that new rubber will--once it's been checked several more times, of course--find its way into the production spec.

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As diverse as Los Angeles itself, the 2006 L.A. auto show covers the entire automotive landscape so consumers can explore a full range of new cars and concept vehicles to suit every need. Coverage and photos are being updated from the 2006 Los Angeles auto show now!

Heinz Bernhard does it so you don't have to. In the Arctic, he endures temperatures so cold they'd make you cry, and the tears would freeze to your cheeks. Through high summers in South Africa and Death Valley, he throws himself into nature's ovens, working in air so hot it's violent. He drives on r